


Of Apples and Broken Down Cars

by thestarminstrel



Series: Apples and Rings, Roses and Bracelets [1]
Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: Coach Williams/Coach Lewis is mentioned, M/M, mentions of Nicholas/Seiji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarminstrel/pseuds/thestarminstrel
Summary: In which Jesse Coste is an aspiring lawyer who is forced to move back to his rural, Michigan hometown. He's upset about it until his car breaks down and a certain farm hand helps him.
Relationships: Jesse Coste/Eugene Labao
Series: Apples and Rings, Roses and Bracelets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032411
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Of Apples and Broken Down Cars

**Author's Note:**

> For Jack and Tina. Still can't believe you encouraged my dumb ramblings smh.

Jesse hated this small town. He never expected to be back after he left for college seven years ago, but here he was, driving down the same damn road down to the law firm that he swore to never take over. He was Jesse Coste, and he refused to be the small-town lawyer his father had settled to be. He was going to leave the law world reeling and in awe of his mere presence.

Settling some dinky conflicts in rural Michigan was not going to do that for Jesse.

However, the law firms of New York City clearly did not see Jesse’s potential, and application after application after application was rejected. He had complained to his father over the phone, who had proposed Jesse come and work at the Coste & Katayama law firm to gain at least some experience. Jesse had refused vehemently at first; but as the list of New York City’s prestigious law firms yet to reject him grew shorter and shorter, Jesse had found himself thinking of the offer more and more.

Finally, as the cost of living in New York City forced him to make a decision, Jesse packed his belongings into a U-Haul and took the long, long drive back home.

He had bemoaned his utterly unfortunate circumstances to Marcel, who had listened to it all with a small sigh as he reviewed for the bar examination. His friend even had the audacity to suggest that maybe this would actually help him in the long run. Jesse snorted at the thought: as if there was anything to gain from this rural dump.

Taking a turn, Jesse found himself on King’s Row Road. It was pretty, Jesse could permit himself to say that much. It ran in between Mrs. Williams-Lewis’s two orchards: one had apples and the other cherries. The trees’ leaves were still green, and they would stay that way till early-October when the leaves finally shrugged on their autumn colors before drifting to the ground and eventually being buried under feet of snow. While the cherry trees were picked bare of any fruit, the apple trees were still laden with it, and the ground was littered with apples of all different colors and shades. Jesse idly wondered if the orchard still grew the Golden Delicious apples he loved so much. Freshly picked fruit was infinitely better than the fruit that was sold at the New York City supermarkets.

Jesse’s eyes flicked to movement in the corner of his eye, expecting to see Mrs. Williams-Lewis or her wife. To his surprise, he saw someone that didn’t even remotely resemble either of them.

The man looked to be around Jesse’s age, but Jesse could not remember seeing him in the eighteen unfortunate years he called this town home. His skin was a warm, golden beige color which paired well with his dark, messy hair shorn off just below his round ears. The blond traced the man’s profile with his eyes and also noted that the man’s yellow flannel hinted at some sort of definition on his arms, which were carrying a ladder and an apple basket. Jesse flushed at the sudden image of those arms lifting him up and refused to let the daydream continue. He firmly fixed his gaze back on the road and forbade to let himself look back till the orchard was far out of his sight.

He would not be distracted by some farm hand who wore flannel and ripped jeans unfairly well. He would have to start accounting for a detour in the morning to avoid King’s Row Road.

After what felt like only a few minutes, he drove into the parking lot of the dreaded law firm, pulled into a spot, and turned off his car. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel, already regretting his decision to take up his father’s offer. He allowed himself a minute of self-pity before he got out and locked his car, pulling the handle once to make sure it was locked.

Looking up at the sign proudly declaring the building as Coste & Katayama Law Firm, Jesse suppressed a shudder. This was distinctly _not_ where he envisioned himself seven years ago.

oOo

Jesse entered the car again much later when the sky was just starting to turn a few shades darker. He slammed the car door shut and leaned his head back into the headrest, no doubt messing up his hair that had taken the better half of the morning to arrange.

He hated it here. He hated it so much.

Jesse’s father had welcomed him with a warm smile, and Mr. Katayama had also offered what stood for a warm greeting in that family. His father’s assistant, Luna, had shown him around the small law firm. Aside from Jesse, there were two other lawyers: Melissa and Carlos. Jesse loosely remembered that his father had hired the two of them when he was sixteen.

Jesse desperately hoped that their fate would not be his own.

Mr. Coste had given his son some paperwork that he said would help ease him into the work they did. Assuming his father would have at least given him some mildly entertaining work, Jesse was sorely disappointed to find out that it was just as boring as he had thought it would be. Quite frankly, this was the kind of work an intern could have done. The blue-eyed man would have at least looked forward to giving his father an earful at home was it not for the fact that Mr. Coste had wisely decided to work overtime with Mr. Katayama.

Huffing out a groan of frustration, Jesse started his car and pulled out of the lot.

In his anger, he forgot that he was supposed to be avoiding King’s Row Road and turned onto it.

After driving down the road for a few minutes in stewing anger, a flash of yellow flannel caught the corner of his eye, and once again, Jesse’s eyes were drawn to it.

The farm hand from before was on a ladder, collecting apples hanging perilously from some branches. The flannel had been wrapped around his waist, and to Jesse’s utter dismay, he was wearing a white tank top that revealed the muscle the lawyer had seen a teaser of that morning. He couldn’t help but watch as the muscles pulled and relaxed as the farm hand picked apples. It created a sort of rippled effect that Jesse would liken to the waves on the Hudson during his morning jogs. The fading light also splayed beautifully across them, somehow making them appear soft and warm to the touch. And it wasn’t just his arms that were unfairly muscular, Jesse noted with a blush. The tank top had risen up, and the blonde saw the teasing of muscle there too. Hip bones peeked over the waistband of ripped jeans, which were now messy with what Jesse hoped was mud.

Forcibly removing his gaze from the farm hand, Jesse felt his cheeks flame and pressed the accelerator a little harder to put as much distance as possible between him and the farm hand.

Only when he turned off of King’s Row Road did he finally tap the breaks to slow down to the speed limit.

oOo

The next morning started similarly to his previous one: blinking awake to a white ceiling that was not the ceiling he had blinked awake to for the past three years. He _gracefully_ rolled out of bed to go downstairs for breakfast.

And much like the previous morning, Jesse’s father was not there to greet him the same warm smile his mother offered him. Not that Jesse minded, he was used to his father not coming home for days at a time. Instead, he opted to sleep at the firm and work non-stop on his latest, biggest case with Mr. Katayama.

Afterwards, Jesse went about the same morning routine he had in New York City. Only difference being there were no neighbors upstairs and downstairs to bother him with their noise. That was only one thing on the long list of grievances he held against them.

Then, much too soon, Jesse was driving down the road to his father’s law firm.

It wasn’t until he was approaching the intersection with King’s Row Road that the blue-eyed man realized that he had forgotten to leave the house early enough to take a detour. Cursing, he turned on the right blinker and mentally prepared himself for whatever revealing outfit the farm hand had decided to put himself in this time.

Turning on the road, he almost didn’t see him, but Jesse regrettably spotted him amongst the trees.

The farm hand was carrying a ladder under one arm and an apple basket under the other. Much to Jesse’s relief, the farm hand was wearing a flannel again that day. It was a pale orange, like one he might have seen in a sunset. The farm hand set the basket down on the ground and the ladder on a tree soon after. He pushed his hair back with a gloved hand, and Jesse took that as his cue to affix his gaze on the road anew.

If he did get into an accident and blemish his so-far perfect driving record, it would be this farm hand’s fault, Jesse decided.

After several too short minutes, he turned into the law firm’s parking lot and dreaded another long day of paperwork and mind-numbing boredom.

He exited the car, already regretting not just turning around and driving back to New York City. Locking the car and pulling the handle to make sure it was as so, the lawyer straightened his button-down’s collar and entered the small building.

oOo

Jesse finally pushed the doors open several grueling hours later. The day had gone much like the last one with boring paperwork and no sniff of interesting cases to entice Jesse. Melissa and Carlos were nice enough he supposed, but they reminded him too much of the over-zealous freshman at his university: chatty, friendly, and oh so optimistic. Luna was quiet, at least.

Once again, his father had elected to stay at the law firm overnight to work on the case, so Jesse once again felt the disappointment of not being able to give his father grief that evening.

Getting into his car and starting it up, he decided he did not have the energy to choose a new route and resigned himself to driving on the one with the farm hand.

oOo

For the next week, Jesse’s life followed the same monotonous routine. At some point, he found himself looking forward to the part of his day where he had a chance to look at the farm hand in the corner of his eye. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about this.

However, on Saturday evening, after Jesse finally finished the stack of paperwork his father had assigned him, the aforementioned man approached him with a smile.

 _Just a heads-up, I’ll be coming home Sunday morning,_ he had paused. _And on Monday, I’ll be giving you your first case. Night, Jesse. Tell your mom I love her._

Jesse had felt a thrill rush through his system at the prospect of his first _legitimate_ case at this firm and went home that evening quite pleased with himself.

oOo

He was late. So very late. Jesse knew that his top-student status at NYU would definitely not make his father quick to forgive him like his professors did.

Cursing, he tried starting his car. Nothing. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, no doubt messing it up beyond a point of presentability.

Why of _all days_ did his car choose today to break down?

He got out of the car and slammed the door shut, glaring at the offending vehicle. Although, some part of Jesse’s brain pointed out that _technically_ , it was his fault since he failed to notice the blinking lights on his dashboard when he started up the car. Jesse voted to ignore that part of his brain.

“Wow, did your car insult you or something?” came a warm voice from behind the lawyer. He whipped his head around to snap at whoever was not being considerate of his stress and cracking jokes instead of offering to help him. However, the retort quickly died on his tongue.

It was the fucking _farm hand_.

If Jesse thought this man was attractive from afar, he was blinding up close. Today, he wore a black tank top that enunciated the dips and curves of the musculature over his stomach and chest. His arms were perfectly poised on his hips, and the blond couldn’t help but trace the man’s shoulders and biceps with his eyes, unintentionally committing it to memory. Jesse found that the man’s facial features were also pleasing to look at. The dark messy hair framed short eyebrows and cheerful, dark brown eyes that were crinkled in a smile that seemed to take up half his face. His round nose was also ever so slightly crinkled, as if it too was also moving to make space for the farm hand’s smile.

The man’s features shifted to a concerned expression, and Jesse realized he had been silent and staring for far too long. He quickly schooled his features into a petulant pout, “Now is not the time to crack jokes. I will be _late_ if you don’t help me.”

The farm hand laughed, “Now who said I was going to help you?”

Raising an eyebrow, Jesse responded, “Well I can only assume that you came here to help me, and I figured it might be better for us both if we skipped the pleasantries.”

“I see, so I am both your eye candy and knight in shining armor at the moment then?”

The lawyer sputtered indignantly. “You—”

The farm hand laughed again, clearly happy to have gotten a rise out of Jesse. “Lucky for you, I am quite willing to be both.” The farm hand held a hand out, “Name’s Eugene.”

The blond sniffed and shook the offered hand, “Jesse.” Eugene’s hand was warm and rough, likely because of the work he did on the farm. Jesse usually preferred smooth hands, but he found that he quite enjoyed the texture of Eugene’s palms and his callouses.

Eugene dropped Jesse’s hand and turned to the car, “Alright, my friend Nick works at a shop not too far from here that we can push your precious darling to.”

Jesse’s face paled, “Excuse me, ‘we’?”

Eugene snorted. “You seriously didn’t expect me to push this car by myself, did you?”

“Don’t you have a car or tractor that we can use to tow the car there with? I can’t show up to work drenched in sweat!”

“Not all of us drive everywhere.”

“Surely you can at least go there and get someone to bring a towing cable then?”

“That would take way longer, and I don’t know how much your boss would appreciate you being super late.”

Jesse groaned. Damn this town and its lack of a proper towing service.

oOo

Jesse found out that watching Eugene’s arm muscles push his car was hypnotizing. The man was soaked in sweat, but somehow, he still managed to look appealing under a certain light. The late morning sun sparkled on his arms and pooled in the dips and crevices where one muscle ended and another began. Once again, Jesse found himself drawn to the way they clenched and pushed in a dance that hinted at the fact that Eugene most definitely knew his way around heavy things. Far too often, the lawyer’s gaze drifted to them during the whole ordeal.

He could only hope that Eugene’s focused gaze hadn’t seen Jesse ogling him.

But, after thirty minutes of pure torture, the two of them managed to push the silver car all the way to the mechanic’s shop. Jesse was about ready to pass out and collapsed in relief on a chair in the shop’s waiting area. Eugene, somehow, remained standing, wiping his brow with his forearm. The sweat shone under the shop’s fluorescent lighting and highlighted the curve of Eugene’s forearms — the blond snapped his head away with a blush.

He instead focused on the mechanic shop. The waiting area was quaint enough, he supposed. The walls were a beige color, and the carpet a dull gray color. The furniture in the room was either a lighter gray or black. Jesse’s nose wrinkled at the very noticeable smell of grease and oil masked by air freshener.

An opened door revealed the hint of a garage behind the waiting area. Jesse saw a few machines he recognized as being used for farming as well as a few cars. Some were lifted above the ground with jacks. There were tools and boxes strewn about, and it looked absolutely disorganized to Jesse.

“Hey, Nick!” Eugene called out. A messy, brown mop of hair popped out from behind a car which hid the squinted expression that scrunched up the face of the man.

However, the expression quickly melted into a smile. “Eugene! What’s up?” he yelled back. The man picked his way over boxes of supplies and strewn tools and made his way to the two sweat-drenched men, “How can I help?”

The newcomer was taller than Eugene by a few inches but still shorter than Jesse. There were several black smudges on his face that the lawyer didn’t notice from far away. He wore a black T-shirt that teased at lean muscle on his shoulders and biceps. His dark green cargo pants were covered in stains of what Jesse presumed to be whatever filth was in a mechanic's shop. Beat-up, red Converse adorned his feet, and Jesse idly wondered how they were not covered in the same oil and grease that the rest of him could not seem to escape.

Not one for excessive dallying, Jesse stood up and walked over to the pair, “My car broke down, and I need it fixed as soon as possible.” He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Nick studied the blond. “Do you have any idea what’s wrong?”

He shrugged, “That’s not my job, now is it?”

“Well, right now we have a lot of other things that need fixing, and since I’ll have to see what’s wrong, it could end up taking me a few weeks.”

“A _few weeks_? I need my car by tomorrow at the latest!”

Nick shrugged, “That’s not my problem, now is it?” Eugene snorted, and Jesse glared at the shorter man. “There’s a mechanic the next town over, but they’re probably also in the same boat we’re in. So, up to you if you want to push your car an extra five miles.”

Jesse scowled. “Fine. How much do you charge?”

oOo

Nick had the decency, at least, to let Eugene and Jesse borrow his car so that Eugene could drive Jesse to the law firm. The farm hand had raised a teasing eyebrow when the lawyer opened the passenger door, but Jesse was tired and sore and like hell he was going to be driving some car that was not his own.

Resting his elbow on the rolled down window, the blond closed his eyes and let the wind ruffle through his hair. Not like he could do anything about his state now. Hopefully his father would let him use his spare set of clothes and freshen up in the restroom before he lectured him on tardiness.

“So, any idea on how you’ll get to work now?” Eugene said from the driver’s seat. The lawyer opened his eyes and turned his head to face the other man. He had a hand on top of the steering wheel and the other loosely gripping the five o’clock of the wheel. Jesse _unintentionally_ noticed how good of a positioning it was for his arms. It showcased the curves of dips of them, but in a subtle way. Embarrassingly, Jesse found he also liked them like that. The window on Eugene’s side was rolled down, just enough for the wind to come in and blow a few messy strands of hair across his face. The dappled light shining from the trees above the road nimbly played across his arms and pant legs. Eugene’s dark eyes were firmly on the road, unlike Jesse’s own when he drove down this same road.

The blond raised an eyebrow, “I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to drive me there?”

The dark-haired man barked out a laugh. “As much as I like you, Jesse, I doubt Coach would be too happy about me being late every day like I will be today.”

Jesse decided to not unpack that statement and opted to snort in disbelief. “A crying shame since my presence is a blessing.”

“Is that so? I’m terribly sorry for the misunderstanding then.”

The lawyer smirked, “As you should be.”

Eugene’s face pulled into a smile again, and Jesse idly noted how easily he seemed to give them. He quite liked that fact, he decided.

“You know, I did notice that your car always slowed down whenever it passed me by,” the farm hand remarked, smile shifting into a sly one. Jesse felt his face flame and could only glare at Eugene as the man laughed. “Aw, did Prince Charming get flustered?”

The blond pouted and sharply turned his head back to the road ahead of them. “I take it back. I would much rather walk to the firm than drive with you. I have not even been with you for a day, and you have teased me far more than I usually allow for.”

“I don’t hear you denying anything,” Eugene said with a teasing lilt in his voice.

Jesse’s pout deepened. “There is nothing to confirm or deny.”

“Ah, so the car just happened to slow down as you passed by then?”

“Exactly.”

A quick glance in Eugene’s direction was met with Eugene’s own gaze. The shorter man smirked and raised a short eyebrow. Jesse’s cheeks flamed at being caught doing what he _just_ denied doing for a week and quickly glanced back at the road. The farm hand laughed, for what seemed to be the millionth time that day.

All too suddenly, the car pulled into the Coste & Katayama Law Firm, and the lawyer had to suppress a sigh of disappointment.

He had a hand on the door handle when Eugene‘s voice broke the silence, “What, no thank you?”

Jesse looked back and smirked. “I think my presence warrants a ‘thank you’ enough so I would say we’re even.”

The farm hand huffed out a laugh as Jesse exited the car. He leaned across the passenger’s seat so he could still look at the blond through the passenger’s window. “See you around, Prince Charming.”

Jesse smiled sweetly, pleased that Eugene expected to see him soon, and raised a hand in farewell as he walked toward the building.

oOo

Jesse’s father had been more humored if anything when Jesse entered the firm drenched in sweat and looking like he had just run a marathon. He had complained about his struggle to his father in the privacy of Mr. Coste’s office.

Mr. Coste just smiled and asked why Jesse didn't think to call him to help him tow the car to the mechanic. That had shut him up fast. _Why_ did he not think of that?

A little part of him knew full well why, but it did not exactly help his case so he voted to ignore that part of his brain again.

After a stern lecture on tardiness and letting Jesse refresh himself in the bathroom, Mr. Coste gave Jesse the casefile and wished him good luck. Jesse had smirked, as if he needed luck for a case as mundane as the ones in rural Michigan.

Honestly, his skills would be put to better use in New York City where the real law firms were.

However, he appreciated his father _finally_ seeing that and having the sense to give Jesse a case. In a way, it was the universe’s way of making amends to Jesse.

When he fell asleep that evening, warm from the wine his father had opened to celebrate Jesse’s first assigned case, he decided he really did not mind not having his own car to drive the next morning.

oOo

Jesse woke up the next morning to find his father gone. He looked at his mother incredulously when he came down to the kitchen to find her there, but not his father at the table drinking a coffee.

She smiled apologetically, “Sorry, Jesse. Mr. Katayama called at six saying that they missed a piece of evidence. Since the trial is in a week, your father couldn’t wait to leave and didn’t want to wake you.”

Jesse sputtered, “So I’m walking to the firm?”

“Seems like it.”

The younger Coste glanced at the clock on the wall: seven thirty. If he left in the next ten minutes, he should make it to the firm going at a reasonable pace. He pouted and turned back around to go up the stairs.

He was not a stranger to having to walk to the firm; he lived fairly close to the downtown area of the town so there were days in middle school where Mrs. Coste would send Jesse with dinner for his father. As he grew older, the dinners grew more and more infrequent as Jesse stayed out with friends and focused on schoolwork.

He sighed as he opened the door to his room, already dreading the walk ahead of him.

After a quick shower, a shortened version of his morning care routine, and changing into a cream sweater with black slacks for the chilly September air, Jesse was back downstairs ready to leave. His mother gave him a warm thermos of coffee as he slipped on his loafers.

With a wave, Jesse was out the door and walking down the familiar road to the intersection with King’s Row Road.

oOo

After some time of walking, Jesse’s peace was interrupted by a loud, but familiar voice. He turned his head to the orchard and raised an eyebrow as Eugene waved at him from the top of a ladder.

His traitorous cheeks were quick to warm when he realized that Eugene was wearing a band shirt that was too tight and barely left anything to the imagination. He stubbornly averted his eyes in a pout as the shorter man made his way over to Jesse.

Even when Eugene was only a few feet away, the blond continued to ignore him, instead opting to glare at the trees across the road. Eugene laughed as he started to peel off the thick gloves that covered his hands.

 _That_ got Jesse’s attention.

It was a simple action, he knew this. There was no logical foundation as to why he should be so drawn to it. But the problem was that Jesse _was_ drawn to it. He was hypnotized by the way the muscle in his arm shifted and the tendons revealed themselves before melting back, out of sight. Eugene held the gloves in his right hand before leaning on the rickety fence that divided the orchard from the road. With his arms crossed in front of him, Eugene raised an eyebrow as the taller man’s cheeks grew warmer and warmer.

The shirt _really_ did not hide anything. He could see the subtle rise and dip of his collarbone and clavicles and the gradual shift into shoulder muscle. Letting his eyes wander down, Jesse also found that the shirt did little to hide way his chest’s shape. Snapping his eyes up, he scowled at Eugene’s smirk.

“You really should change your shirt,” the lawyer managed to choke out.

“Oh really? And here I thought you were checking me out, again.”

“I was _not_ ,” Jesse sputtered. “Honestly, why do you even have that shirt in your wardrobe?”

Eugene shrugged, “Blame my sister. She bought the same shirt as me and our shirts somehow end up in the other’s closet.”

“Well, do see that you figure that out as soon as possible.”

The golden-skinned man laughed, “Of course, Prince Charming.”

Jesse huffed, “You really ought to refrain yourself from calling me that.”

“Prince Charming?”

“ _Yes_ ,” the lawyer pouted. “You can do better, I hope.”

“What’s wrong with ‘Prince Charming’, Jesse?” Eugene asked with a sly smile. Jesse flushed at Eugene so callously using his name like that, but he was sure that if he told the shorter man to stop it, he would get teased even more. Eugene’s smile widened, “Would ‘damsel in distress’ work? Or perhaps ‘princess’?”

Jesse sputtered, “No, absolutely not!”

“’Prince Charming’ it is then,” Eugene said with a laugh.

He pouted, “You’re such a brute.”

Eugene leaned into the fence more, letting his shoulders drop down slightly. His grin also relaxed into one that was less teasing and more sincere. Jesse’s heart beat ever so slightly faster. With that look, Jesse felt like he had _all_ of Eugene’s attention.

The blond felt a shiver run down his spin as he realized that he _liked_ having all of Eugene’s attention.

Before that realization could fully settle in, Eugene reached for Jesse’s right hand, free of a thermos. Maintaining eye contact with the blond, he carefully brought the hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Jesse’s hand.

“Apologies, Your Highness. I did not mean to offend,” Eugene said in a low voice. The words ghosted over the kiss that his lips had just pressed and it chilled that part of Jesse’s hand even further, colder than the September air around them. The blond noticed how gently Eugene gripped Jesse’s hand: just a small tug and his hand would be free from Eugene’s. A precaution that was pointless, however; he enjoyed feeling Eugene’s rough palms and callouses and would gladly let his hand stay in Eugene’s for forever.

A traitorous sigh escaped Jesse’s lips, and the farm hand raised an eyebrow at it. The lawyer’s cheeks flamed as he quickly averted his gaze. Eugene let go of Jesse’s hand, and the blond thought he saw a flash of russet grace the man’s cheeks. “I have to go,” Jesse muttered, keeping his gaze off of the shorter man and voice low.

“So, will I be seeing you again?” Eugene asked, voice just as soft and low as Jesse’s. The blond’s blush warmed to a pinker tint as he remembered how nice Eugene’s breath had felt ghosting over his hand.

Jesse cleared his throat, “Depends on whether or not I can get a ride to the firm tomorrow.”

The shorter man smiled again. “Well then, I do hope that you don’t find one.” He leaned back, shifting his weight to his heels.

Jesse pouted, “You’re such a _brute_.”

Eugene laughed and waved as he started to walk backwards to return to his perch on the ladder. Jesse scoffed and started walking at a brisk pace down the road.

What he did not say, and would vehemently deny ever thinking, was that some part of him also hoped that he would not find a ride either tomorrow.

oOo

The next morning when Jesse went downstairs for breakfast, his father was missing yet again. He let out a sigh of disappointment. He should have figured that his father would have taken advantage of the early mornings to go to the firm since he could not stay overnight for the next week.

That was the deal Jesse’s parents had made years ago. For every week that Jesse’s father stayed overnight at the firm, he would have to return home the next week. It was for that reason that Jesse did not need to walk home at eight o’clock the previous evening when he finally felt he understood enough about the case to be able to discuss it with the defendant (an apple farmer, to Jesse’s annoyance) tomorrow.

Jesse’s mother heard his sigh and laughed, “Morning, Jesse.”

Jesse made his way over to her in the kitchen and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She was very particular about that sort of thing. “Morning, Mom,” he grumbled.

She ruffled his already annoyingly messy bed-hair, “Go and get ready, kiddo. You’ve got a walk ahead of you.”

Just for appearances, he let out a whine, but his heart thrummed a little faster at the prospect of seeing Eugene again. With a shooing gesture, Mrs. Coste kicked him out from the kitchen, and Jesse went back upstairs.

Fifteen minutes later, he was zipping back downstairs and slipping on loafers. Jesse’s mother placed a thermos of coffee in his hand and a kiss on his cheek, and Jesse was out of the door and on his way to King’s Row Road.

oOo

This time, Jesse was the first one to see Eugene. He was leaning down, tying the drawstring around a bag of apples that would be sold at the market starting up in a few hours. And, dammit, the farm hand made even trying a simple _bag_ look good with those ridiculously attractive arms. Jesse resigned himself to potentially being caught ogling the shorter man’s arms and took a sip from his thermos of coffee as he watched. At least he had a long-sleeved shirt on this time.

What he did not expect was for Eugene to straighten up and for his midriff to be fully exposed in a fucking _crop top_.

The lawyer choked on his sip of coffee and tried to muffle the sound of his coughing in his coat sleeve.

However, it seemed that Eugene had the ears of a dog as Jesse soon felt a warm hand on his back and the scent of sweat and apples flooded his nostrils. After a few seconds, his coughing subsided, and he turned to face Eugene.

That proved to be a mistake on Jesse’s part. Eugene’s midriff was just as unfairly muscular and attractive like his arms were: rippling and looked oh so soft under the early morning light. The blond once again felt the desperate urge to touch them and see if the light was playing an illusion or not. He flicked his gaze up, hoping Eugene did not notice, but he was greeted with the teasing expression that the blond was well-acquainted with by now.

“Are you okay?” the farm hand asked when Jesse could not find any words to say.

Grateful for the olive branch Eugene extended, Jesse cleared his throat. “ _Yes_. I’m fine, thank you.” His voice was strained, and he blamed the coughing fit he had just endured for it. Eugene’s hand fell from his back, and the blond mourned the loss of its warmth. Not only that, but the farm hand _also_ moved away, and Jesse wanted nothing more than to pull him back. Sternly, he bid the scandalous thought away.

“I’m glad to hear it—” a beat of silence “—Your Highness.”

Jesse’s expression easily pulled into a pout once more, which of course made Eugene laugh. “I do expect an apology,” the blond stated with a huff.

The dark-haired man quirked a teasing eyebrow, “Oh really? What did I do now?”

Jesse pointedly looked away from the shorter man, “Well for one, your wardrobe choice today.”

“What’s wrong with my crop top?”

“It’s- It’s indecent to be wearing it so flauntingly!”

“Really? And here I thought that you _liked_ looking at my abs. Unless you were choking because of another reason.”

Jesse crossed his arms and scowled at Eugene, trying to counteract the racing blush across his cheeks. Eugene smiled good-naturedly and lowered himself into a bow. Jesse blinked once, twice trying to process the sight in front of him.

“Apologies, Your Highness. I promise to choose my outfit more wisely next time,” came his voice, before the farm hand straightened up and looked at Jesse with an expectant expression.

The lawyer paused, “It was sufficient for a brute, I suppose.”

Eugene laughed, loud and unperturbed by Jesse’s referral to him as a brute. “Here, I’ll walk down with you till the end of the road to show how truly sorry I am.”

The blond’s heart fluttered, but he simply _hmph_ ed and held out his hand, expecting to be given an arm to hold. The shorter man snorted and shook his head in what Jesse hoped was fond disbelief, but he did hold out his elbow and Jesse wrapped his own arm around it.

Eugene’s forearms were quite nice, Jesse decided. They were nice to hold onto: firm but in a way that made Jesse feel secure. He quickly halted that train of thought before letting it progress it any further. He did not want to give Eugene the satisfaction of distracting him yet again. He trained his gaze firmly ahead of them, but even then, Eugene did not stop flooding his senses. His walk was steadfast and not as jostling as Jesse would have expected it to be. It was languid and easy to keep pace with. The blond hummed, pleased at the new discovery and pulled Eugene’s arm ever so slightly closer to him.

If Eugene noticed it, he did not give any indication of it.

“My hands are cold,” Jesse commented idly.

The shorter man snorted, “What do you want me to do about that?”

“You _could_ offer to warm them up like a gentleman.”

Eugene fell silent at that, and Jesse felt smugly satisfied at that. However, Eugene was a man of surprise it seemed and with both hands, he took Jesse’s hand that was wrapped around his forearm and held it up to his mouth. The blond’s breath stilled as his walking partner’s warm breath danced on his fingers. Then, gentle as ever, he rubbed Jesse’s hand between his two palms. The soft _shff shff_ sound of Eugene’s rough palms rubbing over Jesse’s smooth hand was all that filled the silence between them as Jesse memorized the way Eugene’s palms felt. The farm hand cradled Jesse’s hand and blew over it again, warm breath wisping and teasing the lawyer’s senses. Pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles, he returned the hand to its original position on Eugene’s forearm.

Bringing his head up so that he could meet Jesse’s gaze, Eugene smirked. “Warm now?”

Jesse merely stared at Eugene with a blush painting his cheeks and heart racing. His brain seemed to melt and lacked the ability to coherently _think_. So, he did not say anything: just averted his gaze and let the blush persist as memories of Eugene’s hands on his rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind.

Luckily for Jesse, he was able to avoid further embarrassment as the intersection where he would turn to drive down to the firm was approaching fast. He slowly removed his hand from Eugene’s hold and smoothed down his coat.

“I will be seeing you tomorrow I presume?” he said, voice thankfully not choking up or wavering.

Eugene smiled, teasing as usual. “Of course. See you tomorrow, Prince Charming.”

A shy smile darted across Jesse’s lips, “See you tomorrow.”

oOo

After a few days, Mr. Coste announced over dinner he was going to be gone the next week so that they could finally settle the case in court. Their small, rural town did not have a courtroom so they had to go Grand Rapids, a nearby city, to settle cases there. Mr. Katayama and Mr. Coste decided to take Mr. Katayama’s car so that the younger Coste would be able to drive to and from the firm while they were gone.

Standing before the car, keys in hand, Jesse found himself pausing with his hand on the door handle.

Jesse regretted the possible chance to not talk with the farm hand because for some reason, somehow, Eugene had wiggled his way into his daily schedule with teasing smiles and annoying nicknames.

The lawyer’s hand dropped from the door handle, and he slipped the car keys into his coat pocket. With a brisk pace, Jesse started the walk towards Mrs. Williams-Lewis’s apple orchard and the farm hand who tended it.

oOo

Jesse saw Eugene across the orchard, like he always did. He was setting up a ladder against a tree that was far away from the entrance of the orchard. Eugene had to work fast. The apple picking season was a whole month, but if he worked too slow, several apples would rot on the trees till they plummeted to the ground. They were a few weeks into the season, but the farm hand had managed to pick several trees of their fruit. Just another week, and he would be done. Eugene had mentioned offhand that he would probably go and pick blueberries for Mr. Smith across town after Mrs. Williams-Lewis paid him.

The farm hand saw the lawyer staring at him, like he always did, and offered a cheeky smile. Jesse pouted and hoped the shorter man could not make out the blush across his cheeks. It was becoming a quick pattern, and Jesse disdained any implications it had. However, instead of continuing to walk like he would have in New York, he stood in front of the fence and waited for Eugene.

And he came, without fail, leaned against the railing and rested his chin on a hand.

“Morning, Prince Charming,” Eugene said, cheeky smile widening.

Jesse huffed, “Good morning, Labao.”

The farm hand snorted before raising an eyebrow, “I didn’t see your father’s car pass by this morning. Any particular reason?”

The blond stiffened; he forgot Eugene was incredibly perceptive. “He left with Mr. Katayama to Grand Rapids.”

“Oh, and he didn’t leave his car for you? Thought he would since yours is still at Nick’s.”

Jesse looked away and muttered, “I hardly see how that’s relevant.”

The farm hand smirked, “So he did leave his car for you—”

“ _Eugene_ ,” Jesse pleaded, effectively interrupting the other man. He laughed, but thankfully did not continue teasing the blond.

“Gene!” a voice yelled, and Jesse loosely recalled hearing it from somewhere, but he could not place where exactly. Eugene clearly did, as his eyebrows shot up in recognition, and he turned his head to look behind him. A familiar smile spread across his face as his hand shot up in greeting.

“Hey, Nick!” he called back. The lawyer flicked his eyes up watch as the mechanic from some time ago made his way across the orchard. “What did you forget this time?” Eugene asked with mirth.

The mechanic rolled his eyes, “Ha ha, very funny. It was the _one time_ , Eugene.” Nick reached them and leaned on the fence railing with his back towards Jesse, “Seems like you forgot that you were going to help me push Coach’s tractor to the shop.”

The farm hand’s eyes widened, “Oh shit, I did promise to do that. Sorry bro.”

Nick’s tossed his head back and laughed, “Maybe don’t get distracted by your boyfriend—”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”

The brown-haired man playfully shoved Eugene with a gloved hand. “At least I didn’t talk your ear off about mine. I’ll meet you by the tractor.”

Eugene nodded as the messy-haired man pushed off the fence and made his way back from where he came from. Jesse raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the farm hand when he turned to face the lawyer again.

The darker-haired man smirked, “Y’know you never did interrupt and ask Nick about the status of your car.” He leaned in, perhaps subconsciously, “It would make someone think you’ve started to enjoy these walks.”

The blond’s cheeks warmed at the implication of what Eugene said, but there was another point to be made here, “And it seems that you enjoy talking about me with your friends.”

Eugene shrugged as he pushed off the fence. “What can I say? You’re probably the best part of my mornings.” Jesse felt his cheeks blaze to a full-on inferno as he stared, mouth agape, at the shorter man. The dark-eyed man slipped on his gloves and offered a cheeky grin, “See you later, Prince Charming.”

Jesse hid his face behind his coat sleeve as Eugene walked to where Nick disappeared.

_Fuck._

oOo

Jesse found himself staring at the ceiling of the firm several, long hours later. It was that time of night where it toed the line between “very late” and “very early”. Just a few more hours and the sun would be waking up in the east.

Jesse _should_ be home sleeping, but instead he was here in the Coste & Katayama Law Firm, spinning aimlessly in a chair as he stared at the cracked ceiling of the firm. He normally would have had finished the case by now, with a very clear strategy on how to argue it in his client’s favor. It was mundane, painfully boring, and exactly the kind of work he could do in his sleep.

But, for once, the case could come second because a certain man and the implications of his words was plaguing Jesse’s mind. The blond did not think the tawny man would play with his emotions if he was not interested; no, he was far too honest for that. Jesse knew he was a catch as well: an aspiring lawyer, attractive, and charming. It was enough for a few past flings to stay past a couple of nights, but in the end, it ended just as fast as it had begun.

Jesse didn’t want that with Eugene: just a few fun nights with one of them leaving after things started edging on the outskirts of a serious relationship. Jesse pressed a hand over his eyes as his cheeks burned. No, he wanted a relationship where it was more than _just_ sex. The morning talks, the flirting, even the teasing, he wanted to grab it and hold it close forever. Eugene, with his easy smiles and ever-present warmth, gave Jesse all of it in small waves: lapping at his feet before receding and coming back, inching up his ankles every so slightly. It wasn’t until the water was at his knees that Jesse realized that somehow, he loved the feeling of the water on his legs and only wanted to wade out further.

Jesse let the hand fall down his face and onto his lap. Yes, he had feelings for Eugene, but did Eugene see him the same way? Or was he just a fun fling to flirt with and fluster? The blonde knew he would get an answer if he asked, but he was terrified of it. He was terrified the waves would recede completely, leaving the beach and Jesse bone-dry and lonely.

If given the chance, Jesse had a feeling he would welcome Eugene into his arms, even if it was only a short while until the dark-eyed man left and didn’t return his texts anymore. He _knew_ it was unhealthy, but sometimes in moment of desperation, one made snap decisions that feel good, but always ended hurting more than it was worth. Jesse sighed, long and hard, and forced the silence pounding around him be the only sound in his head.

Minutes melted away into hours and the stars dimmed as the sun painted the clouds and sky with a dusky shade of pink. Jesse had drifted in and out of sleep; he even tried to work on his case, but every time he remembered that his defendant was an apple farmer, he felt a flash of longing and dropped his pen in frustration.

Running a hand through his hair as the dawn drifted in through the blinds, Jesse realized he _couldn’t_ see Eugene, not in this state. He had too many questions, too many wants, and he was too terrified of the answers Eugene would have for him.

Resigning himself to short showers in his father’s office and dreadful company, Jesse stood up and went to prepare himself a coffee — already donning the mentality of coffee and work he adopted during exam weeks in college. Grimacing, Jesse hoped that the paper work and mindless casework would help to keep his thought busy and off of Eugene.

He was Jesse Coste, and he would not allow a silly crush on a farm hand in Michigan to derail his career.

oOo

The mentality had worked too well, if the concerned expressions from his co-workers were anything to go by. It was the third day of Jesse’s pining that one of his coworkers actually said something. Jesse was brewing himself the third coffee of the day when Luna walked up behind him.

“You look like shit,” she said frankly. Jesse nearly dropped his mug from surprise.

He whipped his head around to face her, “ _Excuse me?_ ”

Luna crossed her left arm across her chest and took a sip from the mug in her right hand. “Melissa and Carlos are too afraid to say anything, but it doesn’t change the fact that you look like you rolled down a hill.” She wrinkled her nose with a disdainful expression, “At least you don’t smell terrible.”

Jesse fought the urge to sniff under his arms and scowled at the woman, “Can I ask why you felt it necessary to bother me with this nonsense? Don’t you have more important things to do?”

“No. Melissa told me I can’t just get rid of you, so I have to ‘care about your emotional needs’ apparently.” She paused, “Plus, Mr. Coste might fire me if he finds you dead.” The blond blinked as his tired brain caught up with what she was implying. She sighed in frustration, “So what is it, hot stuff? Work getting tough for the preppie?”

Jesse snorted, _as if_. “You’re funny if you think this work isn’t anything I could do in my sleep.”

“Too lazy to walk back home after work?”

“No.”

“Issues in the romance department then?”

Jesse paused, and Luna caught onto that. She smirked at Jesse’s blush, “I don’t know what gave you that implication.”

“It was a wild guess, but you just confirmed it.” She sipped her mug again, “So, who is the lucky person?”

“What is this? High school? I don’t need to tell you anything.”

Luna raised an unimpressed eyebrow, “Any chance it’s Eugene Labao?” The blond dropped the sugar packet that was in his hand into his coffee mug and whipped his gaze to the smaller woman.

“How did—”

“Lucky guess.” In response to Jesse’s blank stare, she threw her head back and groaned, “Use your brain, dingus. My last name is Labao, he’s my _brother_.” The lawyer’s brain short-circuited at that. He opened his mouth to respond, but the younger Labao pressed a finger across his lips, “I am going to respectfully ask you to use your last two braincells to go and ask my stupid brother out. I will go insane if I have to hear him pine after you one more time.”

Without even arranging his hair or fully tucking in his dress shirt, Jesse broke into a run. Shoving the door open with an outstretched hand, he grabbed his coat off the rack and raced out of the law firm as his co-workers stared after him with open-eyed or exasperated expressions.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice!” Luna yelled as the doors banged shut.

Melissa whipped her head back to face her coworker, “Did you—”

The dark-haired woman shrugged.

oOo

Jesse ran all the way to the orchard. He was not out of shape per say, but it had been ages since he had run fast like this without a break or slowing down. The pounding of his feet against the pavement seemed to echo the chant in his head: _go ask my stupid brother out, go ask my stupid brother out, go ask my stupid brother out_. It was giddy and Jesse felt like a little schoolgirl. The buildings passed by in a blur, and soon the background shifted to trees and fences.

Finally coming to a stop at where he usually saw Eugene in the mornings, the lawyer leaned against the railing and gasped for breath. He raised his head and started looking for the farm hand.

Almost immediately, his gaze snapped to Eugene tying a bag of apples. The late morning sun shone on the tawny-skinned man through the tree leaves and painted him with splotches of gold and yellow. As he straightened out, the light shifted to play on Eugene’s face, and Jesse let himself stare at how the light pooled and spread over his facial features. The dark-haired man’s gaze flicked to meet his observer’s and it shifted into one of surprise. Jesse continued to heave for breath as Eugene warily made his way over to him.

“Well, I can say you know how to make a dramatic entrance now.” Eugene said once he was a few feet in front of Jesse. He smiled weakly, “Glad to see you’re alive.”

The lawyer spread his hands placatingly, “I know it’s bad that I disappeared for a few days—”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Jesse stared at the darker-skinned man, his apology stuck in his throat. The blue-eyed man blinked, “Wait, you aren’t upset?”

Eugene huffed, “I mean, it does blow that you kind of disappeared, and I didn’t know why at first.” The farm hand paused, and when he spoke again it was with a more somber tone, “Listen, I’m sorry if I came on too strong, and I will tell Nick to not call you my boyfriend—”

Jesse realized what Eugene was about to say, and he let out a small groan. He did not just spend three days pining away in his father’s law firm to let this slip through his fingers. The blonde grabbed Eugene’s dull green hoodie and yanked him closer. Letting his eyes fall shut, he pressed his lips to the dark-eyed man’s.

Eugene stiffened, but when Jesse did not pull away, he hurriedly yanked off his gloves and let them fall to the ground. Jesse felt pressure at his hips and almost melted. Eugene pressed his lips more firmly to Jesse’s, and the blonde relished in the feeling. His lips, previously chilled by the September air, now parted slightly to welcome some of the heat Eugene seemed to exude with every part of his body.

Eugene’s hands slipped underneath his coat and shifted up to his waist. Jesse gasped at the sensation it left behind. Eugene took the opportunity to slip Jesse’s bottom lip between his own and nipped it gently. The blond let a small whine escape, and the shorter man pressed another kiss to Jesse’s parted lips.

Eugene’s hands did not stay still on his waist either. One hand had roamed to the side of Jesse’s head, and dark fingers gently played with no doubt greasy blond hair. The other rubbed small circles into Jesse’s waist and had pulled the taller man flush against the fence. Jesse was filled with the desire to be closer, and he pressed his lips harder into Eugene’s.

Eugene pulled away from Jesse, despite his whine of protest. The lawyer felt the dark-haired male’s shaky exhale across his lips; somehow, it felt the same as when it was dancing across Jesse’s hands. The blond kept his eyes closed, marveling in the sensation of it all and tried not to shiver. Eugene brushed a thumb across Jesse’s cheekbone, and the blond slowly opened his eyes.

Eugene smiled, “Satisfactory, Your Highness?”

Jesse’s eyebrows furrowed, and Eugene burst out laughing. Jesse took the opportunity to openly observe at how Eugene’s face transformed under such a simple action. Up close, Jesse noticed that the dark-eyed man had dimples and absentmindedly raised a hand to brush his fingers over them. Eugene fell quiet, but the smile remained wide in his face. Jesse flicked his eyes up to meet kind, dark ones.

Dropping his hand to rest on Eugene’s chest, he smirked, “Aren’t you supposed to ask me something, Labao?”

The farm hand hummed, “There is a question I’ve been meaning to ask.” The dark-haired man ran fingers through a few strands of Jesse’s hair, and in a low tone, Eugene asked, “Jesse Coste, would you go out with me on a date?”

“Yes,” Jesse whispered. “I’d be glad to.”

Eugene laughed softly and pressed another kiss to Jesse’s lips. His arms slipped around Eugene’s shoulders and a hand tangled itself into his dark locks. They were soft to the touch and strands wisped across Jesse’s knuckles. Pale pink lips parted with a sigh as Eugene’s hand drifted to where his button down was untucked and ghosted fingers across the skin above Jesse’s waistband. A tongue teasingly flitted into the space created, and Jesse started.

Eugene paused, but when Jesse didn’t move away, he deepened the kiss. The blond pulled Eugene closer to him and hummed contentedly when Eugene’s chest pulled flush against his own. The shorter man let out a small note of surprise and stilled to balance himself, but to Jesse’s delight, returned to kissing him with fervor. A warm, rough palm slid further up Jesse’s skin to rest on his waist. The skin-on-skin contact filled him with crashing warmth and electricity that seemed to exude from the points of contact between them.

However, Jesse was quickly distracted from that sensation by Eugene gently biting his bottom lip. He sighed into the man’s mouth and tugged at his dark hair. Eugene rolled Jesse’s bottom lip between his teeth, and then pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. The blond whined, lips unfortunately unoccupied, but it quickly transformed into a soft moan when Eugene pressed a kiss to the spot where jawline and neck met. As Eugene pressed soft kisses down Jesse’s neck, the dark-haired man traced teasing patterns up and down Jesse’s ribcage with one hand as the other rubbed circles into Jesse’s hip. The blond let soft sounds drift out of his mouth as the ache for more thrummed louder and louder within him.

However, Jesse’s need for Eugene’s mouth on his grew as the man teased his senses. “Eugene,” Jesse whispered and gently tugged his dark locks. Eugene seemed to wordlessly understand what Jesse wanted as he gave his pale neck one last nip before raising his head to crash his lips into Jesse’s. The blond sighed, _yes_ , this was exactly what he needed.

After countless minutes, the kissing slowly eased into soft, lingering kisses before gradually coming to a stop. Eugene rested his forehead against Jesse’s and let his breath ghost over Jesse’s lips, swollen and red from his work.

“What time am I picking you up tonight?” Eugene asked, low and with the slightest lace of roughness in his voice.

Jesse’s thumb brushed over the material of Eugene’s hoodie. “Seven o’clock,” he answered, voice soft as the intimacy of their pose.

Eugene pressed a soft kiss against Jesse’s lips. He pulled back, and with a smile on his face, said, “See you tonight, Prince Charming.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on my [tumblr](https://thestarminstrel.tumblr.com/) :)


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